


bonding

by nonbinaryezrabridger



Series: stargate trope bingo [13]
Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Claustrophobia, Gen, Trapped In A Closet, don’t copy to other sites
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23870140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonbinaryezrabridger/pseuds/nonbinaryezrabridger
Summary: Rush and Young step into a tiny room to study a mysterious device. Predictably enough, the door closes and traps them, giving them plenty of time to bond.
Relationships: Nicholas Rush & Everett Young
Series: stargate trope bingo [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698106
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	bonding

**Author's Note:**

> tw for this chapter:
> 
> claustrophobia, non graphic description of a panic attack

\-------

Colonel Young rounds the corner and enters the room, seeing the science team waiting for him. He tries not to sigh---they’d discovered something, because of course they had---and asks:

“What is it?”

Brody answers, looking a mixture of nervous and excited:

“We discovered a device that uses considerable power.”

Young looks around the room, noting that Rush is absent, and takes in the jumbles of equipment on the tables. He has no clue what he’s looking for, though usually these finds glow or something like that. He finally gives in and asks:

“Okay where is it?”

They gesture towards a small doorway, leading into a dimly lit, tiny room. It looks smaller than a broom closet and even less inviting. 

“In there. Rush is working on it.”

Young holds back another sigh. Working with Rush is almost as volatile as working with these unknown machines. Still, he steps forwards, heading towards the room. As he gets closer he can see the back half of Rush, where he had previously been hidden by the doorway. He stops by the doorway, craning his neck to take in the tiny room, before stepping inside. There’s barely enough room for both him and Rush, leaving only an inch of space between their bodies. Rush grunts, whether in acknowledgement of Young’s presence or in annoyance Young can’t tell. Young shuffles a little, putting his back up against the wall, and succeeds in gaining another inch of space between them. He gets the feeling it’s better to stay as far away from Rush, lest he piss the man off further.

Properly acquainted with the space, he raises his voice to ask:

“How’s it going.”

Before Rush can respond there’s a grinding noise and a door slides out of the wall. It slams shut and turns the space from tiny into oppressively tiny. Young takes a deep breath, staring at the door, but he can’t say he’s surprised. Everything that seems able to go wrong on this ship does so. He clicks his radio on and says:

“Brody, I assume you’re aware of what just happened.”

There’s a crackle and then Brody’s voice, sounding stressed:

“Yes sir, we’re working on it. But we weren’t even aware there was a door there, so this might take a while.”

Colonel Young finally lets the sigh escape and clicks the radio off before he mutters:

“Great.”

Then he turns his attention to Rush. The man has some sort of door in the wall pulled open and is working with the brilliantly lit wiring the ancients seem to be so fond of. Young watches him, trying to figure out what to say, and after a long moment of watching, he notices that Rush’s hands are shaking. He can hear Rush’s breathing, loud and ragged, but it still takes him an embarrassingly long time to figure out that Rush is panicking. Panic is not an emotion he expected from Rush; he’d seen all sorts of other negative emotions, including fear, but not panic.

He really figures it out when Rush drops the wiring and struggles to turn to face Young, his eyes dark in the dim lighting, and snarls:

“When are those idiots going to get us out of here?”

It’s obviously intended to come across as sharp and angry, but instead his voice shakes and it sounds deeply afraid. 

Oh. 

Thinks Young.

Rush’s eyes are flitting all over the room and he presses a hand to the wall, as if he needs support to stand. Young’s first instinct is to reach out to steady him, but he knows that won’t go over well so he pulls his hand back and tries words instead.

“Rush. How are you doing?”

Rush’s eyes don’t meet Young’s and he snarls back:

“How do you think I’m doing?”

Of all the things he wanted to do today, being trapped in a tiny room with a terrified---working up to furious---Rush, is not high up on his list. But it’s the situation he’s been given, and he needs to handle it. So he presses himself back, trying to be as small as possible to ease Rush’s claustrophobia, and says:

“Okay. I need you to listen to me.”

Rush’s teeth are bared and his eyes wild. He slams a fist against the wall before finally saying:

“Fine.”

Young keeps his voice calm and confident as he says:

“Good. Now, what are five things you can see?”

Rush gives him a look like he’s crazy. Young bites down the urge to snap at him and simply says:

“It’s just a grounding technique. You said you would listen.”

Rush sneers but says:

“I see you. I see the ancient device. I see the four walls around us.”

Young wishes he hadn’t focused on the walls trapping them. But he can’t change it, so instead he hurries him along to the next step:

“Four things you can touch.”

Rush runs his hands over the wall, which is good, the physical sensation should be grounding as well. 

“My shirt, the walls, the ancient device’s wiring, you.”

At that he pushes at Young. Young ignores the purposeful jab, knowing it’s just a distraction technique.

“Three things you can hear.”

Rush pauses at that, closing his eyes and really listening before replying:

“My breathing, the hum of the engines, those idiots talking on the other side of the door.”

Young can see his nervous energy lessening, just barely. 

“Good. Two things you can smell.”

Rush breathes deep.

“The metallic smell of the ship, the burnt smell of the damaged wiring.”

At that Young becomes aware of an acrid scent, not immediately apparent but still there. He hopes this device isn’t damaged enough to explode on them.

“One thing you can taste.”

Rush huffs out a mean spirited laugh.

“That disgusting slop you feed us in the mess hall.”

Young laughs too and admits:

“I’m not a fan of it either, you know.”

Rush lets out a non committal “hmm” and turns back to the ancient device. He seems to be calmer now, though one of his feet is still tapping a staccato beat out against the decking. Young decides he needs to keep his mind occupied and asks:

“So what is it? Anything useful?”

Rush laughs, humourless and sharp. He responds:

“It’s a microwave.”

Young can’t help it; he gapes.

“We got trapped in here for the ancient version of a microwave?”

Rush nods before looking at him with an edge of uncertainty, as if he’s not sure how Young’s going to react. Young himself isn’t sure until he feels the amusement bubble up and the laughter pour out of his mouth. Rush watches him for a long moment before he, haltingly, joins in. Young thinks it’s the first time he’s heard Rush laugh that's actually humorous and not disdainful. They laugh together until Young is breathless, and he meets Rush’s eyes. They share a smile, a strangely vulnerable thing, and just then the door slides open.

Rush is clawing his way past Young and out before Young can even think to move. Young can hear him snap at Brody and the rest of the science team:

“It’s about time.”

Volker sighs and says:

“It wasn’t even us. The door just came open.”

Rush grumbles and heads out of the room at not quite a run. Young follows at a more leisurely pace, telling the science team as he passes them:

“Mystery solved: it’s a microwave. Pack it up.”

He can hear them doing so behind him but he’s too busy marveling at the open space around him to really care. He heads back to the control room, thinking about the report he’s going to have to write on this. 

\--------

**Author's Note:**

> yes destiny definitely is sentient and trapped them in there on purpose until they were nice to each other


End file.
